On Saturday night, February 10, at the Canton Recreational Pavilion, Seaway Valley Prevention Council, Advancing Tobacco Free Communities, and Reality Check hosted its second annual “Rock-N-Skate.” Masses of community members, youth, and adults came to rock the night in neon-themed attire.
Front row, from left, Emerson McQuade, Jeremy Carr, Hunter Bouchey, Mat Bradish- Hayes, John Ahlfeld
This year’s event was a huge success. “We nearly doubled the amount of people in attendance compared to last year with over 468 youth and community members combined,” Program Coordinator Rico Dobbs stated.
Last year, the mission was to get the community’s perception of tobacco and vape use at parks, playgrounds, and beaches within the community. This year, the focus was on the youth’s perception of vaping in schools.
“Vaping is obviously at the forefront of issues related to teens and schools right now,” Reality Check Coordinator Travis Jordan said. “Hosting a fun event for our community like this is a great way for us to share information and education about the issue with everyone who attends. A huge thank you to those who helped facilitate the event, especially the Hermon-Dekalb and Canton Central varsity athletes who volunteered and our very own Reality Check youth. Without their help, none of this would have been possible!”
“My teammates and I appreciated the opportunity to give back to the community that supports us year in and year out,” said Hermon-Dekalb Basketball Captain Emerson McQaude. “This event was a great way to gather the youth and educate them on the dangers of vaping and tobacco use in schools. Thank you, Seaway Valley Prevention Council for all that you do for us.”
“Having the opportunity to bring the community together is always special,” voiced Canton Central hockey standout and Assistant Captain JJ Ahlfeld, “I was extremely enthused to be a part of such an important event. It’s crucial to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of tobacco use and vaping in young adults.”
Community members and youth received free skate rentals, hot chocolate, pizza, cookies, and giveaways while learning about how the tobacco industry targets youth with it’s marketing tactics. Youth who attended were asked to complete a survey on their perception of vaping in school. Data collected will be used to help solve the issue in local schools.
Seaway Valley Prevention Council would like to thank Little Italy in Canton, Cindy’s Cake Shop, Pepsi in Ogdensburg, and J.S. Cinemas in Canton for their donations to the event!
